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I really don’t need a new project as I have some Christmas gifts to make for others to give, some for me to give and 2/3 of a granny stripe blanket already on my WIP list.

However, my bestest crochet chum is working on a gorgeous project at the minute that I really want to try. It’s the Brighton Cowl which just looks so yummy and seasonal that I am having difficulty resisting. This picture is hers:

I need to have a good rummage around my yarn stash (which is really very small! Honest!! No, really it is!!) and find a suitable yarn for this project.

I also really like the shape of these stars – I think they would be lovely for Christmas decorations too!

I find myself with some time on my hands at the moment as I’m not in work because I have been really not coping well with the redundancy situation. I am struggling to do day to day things but I think keeping the crochet going will help keep me sane and active, even it if isn’t getting me out of my pyjamas, the washing done or the bathroom cleaned!

Did you notice that yesterday was the first day I hadn’t posted for ages? I kind of missed it, after the daily blogging of Blogtoberfet and my holiday. Maybe the extra time I have will enable me to write regularly too! I can but try!

After seeing the beginnings of this, my second, circle scarf, my friend suggested it should be the ‘Party Ring’ Scarf. She’s so right!!! Do you know what Party Rings are? Those brightly coloured round biscuits?

This scarf is for my 6 year old niece for Christmas and the candy colours are so bright and jolly, I just love them. And yes, they are like yummy party rings!

For this scarf instead of continuing at the end of each row and working the next half of the circle, I changed colour completely, giving really quite dramatic colour mixes.

Does it make you hungry? My sister has asked me if I can make a hat to match it. Thank goodness for Ravelry!!

I’ll be honest! I’m not dancing a jig. In fact, I’m quite sad and I left a little bit of my heart in Yorkshire this morning.

We did most of the packing and organising last night so this morning it was easier to just get up, have breakfast and enjoy our last few hours in the cottage.

I think even the sheep were sad to see us go as they didn’t even come near to say bon voyage!

So, home now! I always have a monent of nerves before getting back home but everything was fine, thankfully. We’ve just had a lazy afternoon and a snooze since getting home, not even put any washing on yet.

However, I thought some crochet would help cheer me up (doesn’t it always?). I had an idea for a change to my new favourite circles scarf. The way the pattern works you crochet one half of each circle in a row then the other half. I thought of changing yarn for that second half, and here is the result! I think it looks great and I plan to make it up overall of all different colours for each half of each row.

the old man isn’t snoring, because he’s wide awake and sitting next to me!

But is it a dark and wet day here in Yorkshire. Dreich as one would say in Scotland!

It’s the last full day of our holiday today and although we didn’t have an actual plan, the weather really would have put us off doing anything outdoors or driving too far. Instead we had a drive out to some pretty villages, coming home via the supermarket to pick up some cake, something for dinner and to put petrol in the car for tomorrow’s drive home! Boo hoo!

Here we are once again cosy indoors with tea, cake and a log fire while the wind howls around outside. We even pushed the boat out and made a pot of tea – now we don’t often do that at home! One of my lasting memories of our holiday will be this scene, pretty much as it was last year too:

I put this time to good use and finished the pot holder I mentioned in my last post. I love these colours! The yarn is the Stylecraft Special DK that I used for my Granny Stripe Blanket so I have lots of colours already and the point I am at in the blanket means I have a tiny amount left on each ball before I start a new ball so I am using up the little balls for bits and bobs like this. Now here’s a confessio! I’m not sure if a potholder is meant as a pot stand, ie a trivet, or for lifting a pot, like an oven glove. However, I am pretty paranoid about burning myself on the oven and hot dishes so I think I will continue to use my purpose made heavy duty oven gloves, and use this as a mat. The thing I particularly like about it is Alice’s little shell pattern around the edge:

Sheep and crows to show you today. The crows here seem move together in great waves, like a black speckled cloud!

We’ve had a stay indoors at holiday home day today. I am proud to say I didn’t even get out of my pj’s. I love that sort of day at home so it was actually nicer on holiday where there aren’t the other things you could be doing.

I slept really late, had breakfast for lunch then read, crocheted and Wii’d that afternoon away.

Want to see what I’ve been crocheting?

Alicerecently shared her tutorial for a potholder based around the African flower motif and I really wanted to give it a go. Can you believe I’ve never made an African flower before? It may become a firm favourite! Alice combined this motif with her mandala pattern (which I am also yet to try) which she then backed with a plain flat circle and a pretty edge to make a gorgeous, multi coloured pot holder.

It’s a great pattern and really straightforward and quick! I am really enjoying making this first one and will probably make quite a few more before long.

Oh, I did venture outdoors to take pictures of the sheep today, but only to the front door step: